Journey of a Straw Hat
by saltandburnit
Summary: The return, the death and the legacy of a battered, yet proud straw hat. Three-shot, drabbles.
1. Chapter 1: The Return

**Journey Of A Straw hat**

_Summary_: The return, the death and the legacy of a battered, yet proud straw hat. Three-shot, drabbles.

_A/N_: First One Piece fanfic. First anime fanfic to be exact even though I've been watching anime for months. Expect more to come (in other fandoms as well). I just couldn't get it out of my head. As for my other stories, I'll update my profile on their status sometime soon.

Might be a little OOC since this is my first shot at it.

* * *

_Chapter One: The Return_

An eerie silence surrounded them all. The two crews were facing each other, not with hostility but with mutual respect. They stood, silent, proud and watched as their captains approached each other.

A man around his late thirties with flaming red hair and three distinctive scars on his eye was the first captain, walking slowly, with his facing hiding any emotion. A dark coat rested proudly on his shoulders, moving with the wind and hiding the fact that this strong person was indeed missing an arm.

The other one, a boy, or… perhaps a man now, in his early twenties with ink black hair and equally colorless eyes was coming to him, his posture humble for once, grasping the seriousness of the moment, yet with pride and accomplishment shining brightly in those eyes. A simple, worn out straw hat adorned his head and gave some color to the black coat he was also wearing on top of his red shirt.

Some people believed this meeting was long overdue.

Others thought it had come surprisingly soon.

And some of the newest members of the Red Hair Pirated had no freaking clue as to what was going on.

But even the most clueless of members could understand the importance of what they were witnessing and the need to stay silent.

Eventually the two captains reached each other and their crews held their breaths to see what was going to happen next.

A moment passed, fast as a heartbeat and the younger boy, the new Pirate King of all things, kneeled down on one foot in front of his idol. Straw-hat Luffy removed his trademark from his head and bowed down as he offered it to the red-haired man. A mark of promise. An act of fulfilling it.

"I did it, Shanks," his voice was raw with emotion but even so they could all hear the smile in it, the ever-present laughter, now even more apparent that he had both accomplished his dream and kept his promise. "I did it. I found the One Piece. I'm Pirate King now. I… I kept my promise."

Luffy felt him take his hand and looked up. Red-Hair Shanks, former member of the previous Pirate King's crew was smiling down at him, looking surprisingly a lot like a proud parent watching his child.

"Didn't doubt you for a second, Luffy," he stated.

Then he proceeded to do something that shocked everyone watching them. With a mischievous laugh he put the battered hat back on the boy's head, much to his protest. "You should keep that, though."

"_Eh? _Why? Wh-what did I do wrong?"

Shanks used his one arm to lift the boy from the ground. "Nothing. This hat just wasn't mine to begin with. This hat belongs to the Pirate King. Either one of them. If anything, you should give it to your successor."

Luffy thought about it for a moment, eyes still wide with shock until he threw his head back and laughed, having obviously decided it wasn't worth worrying about it. "Okay then!" He agreed happily. "Only… how will I find him? How will I know it's him?"

"Trust me, you'll know it. Same way I did. Or maybe your crew will…" His eyes looked over the Strawhats, lingering ever so slightly at the green-haired first mate. "Either way, enough with that… Let's _celebrate_!"

And with that the crews started cheering and went off to prepare what, knowing their captains, should be a huge banquet, perhaps lasting more than a few days.

As the party went on and one and the town's supply of sake between Zoro and the Red Hair Pirates was quickly running out, Shanks couldn't help but bring his former captain in mind and wonder just what he thought about how the boy he originally gave his hat to found a more than capable successor for him. A small chuckle left his lips. Somehow Roger had known. Somehow he had known. The same way he had always known himself the hat belonged to Luffy because he would become the new Pirate King. Roger just needed someone to pass it on to him…

And boy was Shanks glad he was the one chosen to do it.

* * *

_A/N_: So that's it. Not quite sure where that came from. As for Luffy's coat, I have two words for you: Strong. World. Plus being the whole pirate king, a coat would look good. Maybe. Anyway…

Thanks for reading! Leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2: Eternal

**Journey Of A Straw hat**

_Summary_: The return, the death and the legacy of a battered, yet proud straw hat. Three-shot, drabbles.

_A/N_: Second chapter, then. Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! Can I just say that my One Piece stories (and there will be more) will actually be connected so some details here will be explained in other stories. This particular chapter will almost certainly be rewritten to add stuff I wanted to write but couldn't fit with the theme as well as various other details…

Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

_Chapter Two: Eternal_

The sounds of the battle are still ringing in the ears of everyone who dared witness it. The sound of bombs being fired, desperate yet determined battle cries, the sound of a young man laughing… as he left his last breath with a smile.

The newspapers were very popular the following day, tabloids with large, bold letters reading: "PIRATE KING IS DEAD! END OF ANOTHER ERA!", "WHERE IS THE ONE PIECE NOW?", "VICE ADMIRAL SMOKER DECLARED MARINE HERO," "TRIBUTE ALL AROUND THE WORLD DURING THE BATTLE! RAISED FISTS IN HONOR OF THE PIRATE KING." They didn't seem to stop…

The marine reports were a little different, more accurate, more… insightful…

"… _and from the lack of shocked reactions or even attempts at rescue, it was assumed that the Strawhat crew was well aware that their Captain, Monkey D. Luffy was going to die that day…"_

Official Marin Hero, Vice Admiral Smoker has refused to report anything yet.

And the Strawhat crew disappeared for a while.

* * *

The Baratie wasn't filled with costumers as it usually was. In a way, it was reserved for something special and as if people could sense the trouble, they stayed away from it.

A huge, scarred whale was waiting outside the restaurant and what appeared to be a skeleton was passionately playing the piano inside. And one by one, hooded figured walked in and proceeded to take their seats at the especially grand table, not uttering a single world, not until the song was over.

"_Going to deliver Bink's sake!_

_Today, and tomorrow, our dreams through the night!_

_Waving our goodbyes, we'll never meet again!_

_But don't look so down, for at night the moon will rise!"_

And if anyone could hear the skeleton's voice cracking, they didn't say anything.

"_Going to deliver Bink's sake!_

_Let's all sing it with a DON! A song of waves_

_Doesn't matter who you are, someday you'll just be bones._

_Never ending, ever-wandering, our funny traveling tale!"_

And if anyone saw the tears in the woman's eyes, they pretended not to notice.

"_Yohohoho, yo-hohoho_

_Yohohoho, yo-hohoho_

_Yohohoho, yo-hohoho_

_Yohohoho, yo-hohoho!"_

And as all their voices meddled together, they could hear the slightly off-key voice of a raven haired man, who wouldn't miss a party even in death…

In the name of their captain, the Strawhat crew met each other again for three days, every two years. At the Baratie, Alabasta, Shaki's bar, Fishman Island, they even went to Windmill Village once. Wherever there was a place open to them to celebrate and remember the boy with the straw hat, the pirate king, their _friend_.

* * *

As the world's greatest swordsman, also known by his crew as the person who got lost in a straight line, Ronoroa Zoro held his captain's hat in his hands, while the rest of the crew was chatting away in the Baratie, he recalled the last time Luffy had held it…

_ Right before Smoker killed him, as he knew he would, he _had to_, because for the first time in his life Luffy had a _plan_ and it would go the way he wanted it to, the pirate king removed his treasured hat from his head. Just before the Marine gave his final hit, he concentrated all his force and threw the hat in the air, high up in the sky. Watching as it floated in the wind, the childish man smiled, then laughed, laughed with all his heart._

_ Monkey D. Luffy died with the widest grin on his face, without his precious hat. Because that straw hat was a symbol of freedom and it could _never_ be defeated._

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_A/N: _So, that's it. Not sure I like this chapter. Not to mention it's ridiculously small, though as I mentioned above, I will write an extended version of it. Look for it… at some point. There is one more chapter to this particular story, _Legacy,_ and then I'm off to a new one. But like I've also said before most of my One Piece stories will be linked in one way or another.

Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you think!


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